Loyalty
by EchowolfS
Summary: Everyone comments on how loyal Nadia is. She is loyal to her friends, family, The Order of the Kaijudo Duel masters, and especially to her mentor, the water master Argust. But what will happen when she has to choose between being loyal, or being free?
1. Chapter 1

Loyalties

Chapter 1

15 years ago

Ken's Pov

 _These veil breaches are getting a bit annoying_. I thought to myself. Veil breaches have been getting more and more frequent within the last few weeks. The other masters are tired as well of these incidences, but they don't have families to get back to, even though we aren't supposed to have one. All of these occurrences bring up a pretty big question, though… _Will Janet ask me to not leave as often to be with our child?_

I shook my head hard as I rounded the corner. I needed to focus if I was going to find a creature I haven't seen before. Then, herd it back through the veil. Simple…

Suddenly, I heard a scream. _Oh no._ Someone must have run into the creature! I pulled on and activated my gauntlet. Making sure that no one else was around, I summoned my creature.

" _Guardian Akhal-Teek!"_ I called.

Akhal ran through the veil and followed me to an abandoned alley way. I gasped at what I saw.

A young girl who couldn't be older than twelve was trying to fend off a rumbling terrasaur with a metal pipe. What stunned me even more was the fact that there was another alley way that was too small for the terrasaur to fit through right behind her.

"What are you doing? Run kid, run!" I yelled out to the girl, causing her to break her focus on the creature.

The terrasaur roared, and then, the girl made my heart stop. She swung the pipe and smacked the creature right in the nose. It stepped back, probably even more surprised than me that this petite child just struck it. She yelled something at the creature in a different language, causing it to tilt its head to the side. I think Akhal and I did the same. This little girl just made a creature probably thirty times her size step back.

I snapped out of my daze and sent my creature to stand in front of the girl. Only then did I realize why the girl didn't run away. She was standing in front of a little boy who was knocked out cold on the ground. I ran over to the two and gently picked up the boy.

"Who are you?" The girl asked, she had a heavy Russian accent, but despite her age, spoke English clearly and without hesitation.

"I'm a friend. Come on, let's get your little friend some help." I grabbed her arm and led her into the alley way, well out of danger. The boy was definitely in some trouble. He was covered in bruises, making me think he might have been run over by the creature, but I knew someone that could help.

" _Humonculon the Blaster!"_ I called my small creature partner.

"What is it doing to my brother?!" The girl cried out as Humonculon began to wrap the boy with its webs.

"The webs will heal him. Wait here." I ran back to where Akhal and the terrasaur.

Terrasors have become routine veil breaches, so it didn't take long for me to guide it back through the veil and close the breach. I ran back to find that the little boy had woken up and started crying. He struggled against the webs, but he wasn't strong enough to break them. I wasn't sure what to do. I could wipe the boys mind now, but that might scare away the girl, and she would probably make a great acolyte. Luckily, I didn't have to do anything. The girl began to softly sing to her little brother. It was in Russian, but I knew it was something comforting. The boy calmed down and looked over at me.

"Who you?" He asked in broken English.

"My name is Ken Takahashi Okamoto. Do you two know what that was?" I gestured back to where the fight was.

"No. I have never seen anything like that in my life. What was it?" The girl surprised me. She should be traumatized, or at the very least frightened, but she wasn't. She seemed more curious than anything. I smiled at her.

"That was a Rumbling Terrasaur. A nature creature from the Kaiju realm." Their eyes widened in amazement, but then became disappointed when I didn't continue.

"What's the Kaiju realm?" The girl asked.

"I could tell you more, but you need to agree to take a test." The girl tilted her head. "By the way… what's your name?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. This is my little brother, Nico, and my name is Nadia Lobachevsky." The girl raised her hand and I shook it softly.

"Well, Nadia, would you like to learn how to do what I do?" I asked with a smile.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Ken's Pov

I led the two to the studio, but before we entered, Nadia stopped.

"You work at a martial arts studio?" She asked

"Think of it as my day job, but behind the scenes," I led them to the back and opened the door to the temple "things are much more interesting."

I took them through the temple and explained the world's true history. Nadia took everything in, while still holding onto her brother to make sure he didn't run off. Normally, we take in apprentices who are around fourteen or fifteen, but I knew this girl was special even though she was so young. I just hope the other masters will see what I see.

I introduced the two to the other masters one by one, and everyone pulled me aside to tell me I was crazy.

"What were you thinking?" The fire master, Hawkins asked quietly

"They are way too young!" Nigel asked

"We can simply wait until they are older." Jaha tried to reason

But then Argus surprised me. I took Nadia and Nico into the library to meet the water master, and expected Argus to tell me what a fool I am, but he didn't. Nadia asked him about everything. Tablets, the veil, parts of our history I didn't elaborate on, and about the cyber viruses. Argus answered every question, and seemed to warm up to the girl, and then, she surprised us.

"So if you use the cyber virus on my brother, he won't remember anything?" She asked

Argus looked a bit surprised "Yes?"

"Can you please wipe his memory when we leave? I don't want him in this. Maybe when he is older, but not now." It was touching to see how much she cared about Nico.

Argus and I exchanged glances, and then he spoke "We would have had to do it anyways. He is too young to keep such a secret. But the problem is… are you good enough to keep this secret?"

Argus grabbed a water tablet and we left for the arena. Toji gave Nadia a practice gauntlet and Argus handed her the tablet. I sent Nico to sit with Hawkins and led Nadia to the arena.

"Summoning a creature can be difficult, but don't worry. I'll be here the entire time." I whispered to her

She nodded her head, and then began to read the tablet. Her creature was Buoyant Blowfish. A pretty basic water creature. I have already shown her the Kata, so it's now or never.

" _Buoyant Blowfish!"_ She called on the creature, performing the Kata perfectly

She stared at the creature, and the creature stared at her as well. I think she was a bit shocked that it worked, and the creature seemed surprised that humans could be this young.

"Okay, you have summoned a creature, but can you control it?" Nigel called down

"Control it?" Nadia gave me a strange look, as if she didn't like the sound of that

"Think of it as guiding the creature's actions." I whispered

She nodded her head, but still looked a bit unsure. She raised her hand, and motioned for the creature to move to the left. The creature floated left. She motioned right, and it went right. She then commanded the creature to attack one of the targets, and the creature hit it spot on. I gave her a warm smile

"The girl has remarkable control." Jaha said as we discussed whether or not we will accept Nadia in the order "She is very young though. I am not sure if it is a wise idea to take her into our ranks."

"She is much too young. I can't help but wonder what came over you to take her here in the first place?" Nigel glared at me

"She is in no way a natural, but you did not see the look in her eye when I saw her fend off a Rumbling Terrasor. She was afraid, but she felt the need to stay and defend her brother instead of run away. I don't know about the rest of you, but I believe that this is one of the traits that this order was built on. And to show this at such a young age… who knows is we will ever find her or someone like her again." I said

"I agree with Takahashi. She was surprisingly curious in the library and even asked for us to take her brother's memories because she didn't want him here. Also, instead of just reading the name of the creature she was to summon, she actually read the tablet." Argus said

"Just because she is in the order doesn't mean that she has to go out and duel rogue creatures. We can train her, and wait until she is older to send her out in the field." Hawkins suggested

That seemed to sway the others as well. "So, I guess we are in agreement?" Jaha asked, and we all nodded, even if one was reluctant. I smiled.

Nadia was called into the room, and we activated her gauntlet. She gave me a nervous smile as Brightmore welcomed her into the order.

* * *

I remember first watching Kaijudo last year for the first time, and Immediately fell in love with Nadia's character. I was really hoping that they would give her some back story, but all we got was the small fact that she was once the Choten's personal acolyte, and nothing else. So of course I had to think up my own backstory. I built this on how she acts around others and her attitude to her work, and even that was limited. I assumed that she knew Ken from the line "Obviously Takahashi kept secrets from all of us." but her went missing fourteen years prior and she doesn't appear that old, so I made her young enough to get to know Ken for at least a few months.

I also had Hawkins (who was a master from the story Quest for the Gauntlet if you didn't get to read it) become fire master because I dont believe Hector is over forty years old, and that would be a long time gap if he became the duel master after Tiera. Everything else is pretty much the same.

One thing though, Should I bring Nadia's brother back in later chapters? I still know where this is going to go either way, but I'm not sure.

-Echo


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Nadia's Pov

I can't believe he's gone… Master Argus returned to the temple after a mission with Master Takahashi alone. He told us that Takahashi saved him, but was pulled into the creature realm. He said that the breach was from a Rapids Lurker, and if he was pulled into the Water Realm… I- I don't want to even think about what would have happened.

"Hey, Nadia. Do you want to go practice with us?" I looked up to see two of my friends and fellow acolytes, Wade and Maria, looking down on me. They knew I was friends with Master Takahashi,and they are probably just trying to get me to cheer up, but I really don't feel like doing anything at the moment. Besides, I have kind of become a personal student of the Water Master, which I am fine with, but it means I have to always be ready for mundane tasks.

"No thanks. I have some studying to do," I responded. They looked concerned, but left anyways.

I was sitting at one of the tables in the library, when I saw something strange. One of the tablets I had pulled off the shelf was slightly glowing. I had been going in alphabetical order when studying the tablets, so it took me a while to get to the Rapids Lurkers. I had no idea if it just did that, or if there was something wrong with the tablet. I pulled it out from the stack and looked it over

"Aqua Chaser, Rusalka." I said its name out loud. I have heard of the name Rusalka before. They were Water Nymphs from Slavic folklore born after a woman died either by suicide or by murder. They would haunt waterways and lead young men to their deaths. The only way to get rid of one is to avenge their deaths and only then will they be at peace. They are highly feared and respected in Slavic mythology.

"Nadia?" I heard Master Argus call for me from his lab.

"Coming!" I called back, putting the tablet back in the stack where it belonged and hurried to his lab.

I found him focused intently on some papers and checking on something through his microscope. He has been working on something for a while now, long before I got here, but ever since Takahashi disappeared, he has been working much harder. I have heard the other masters talk about how he hasn't left his lab since it happened.

"Yes master?" I asked.

"Can you bring me one of the jars from the top of the cabinet at the corner of the room?" He asked, not looking up from his work.

I would be glad to help, but his lab is round… and there are no jars on any of the cabinets in here. I looked around, trying to see if there was anything similar to what he described, and the only jars I saw were the ones on the sink behind him. I grabbed one and handed it to him, hoping this was what he wanted, and he took it without a word.

I stood there for a moment, but after a while, I realized that he was zoned out and wasn't going to confirm if I was right and left quietly.

I opened the door to the lab to exit, but Jaha was standing there.

"Oh, Master Jaha," I said, surprised. "Do you need something?"

"Oh, so you're Argus' new secretary?" She laughed. "Actually, I was looking for you. Can you come with me for a moment?"

I looked back to Master Argus, but he was still deeply zoned out. I turned back and followed Jaha to the council meeting room. The other masters were waiting there as well, and I began to feel a bit anxious.

"Nadia, are you alright?" Master Hawkins asked me.

"I'm fine, why do you ask?" I gave him a confused look.

"Your friends are worried about you. You haven't been yourself since Takahashi… well, since he left." Hawkins was a good friend of Master Takahashi. I don't think he believes he is dead, just that he is missing.

"I just miss him." I said simply, not wanting to worry the masters and have them send me home so early. "He was the one who brought me here and had enough faith in me to convince you to let me stay. I owe him a lot."

"Okay, if you say so." Hawkins placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Now, onto what to do with Argus. As his personal helper, I assume you have also noticed how he has been acting?" Master Brightmore asked, and I nodded my head. "We are at a bit of a loss as to what to do. Do you have any ideas?"

"I think he is trying to focus on work rather than Master Takahashi's disappearance." I said.

"He hasn't left his lab in three days. It is unhealthy for him, so I am going to recruit you on your first 'mission'." Jaha said, handing me a weird mushroom. "He won't suspect this from you. Just go up to him, point the top at his face, and squeeze it hard. The spores will put him to sleep and give him some much needed rest."

"Don't worry about his reaction, we'll be outside the lab waiting. And no matter what he says, you won't be thrown out of the order." Hawkins led me out of the room and back to the lab.

I nervously walked back into the lab to see that Master Argus hadn't even moved. I moved closer to him, holding the mushroom behind my back.

"Master Argus?" I called to him.

"Is something the matter, Nadia?" He didn't even look at me. I needed to make up a lie so he would look over.

"I- I tripped and scuffed my elbow on the ground in the library. Do you have anything to numb it?" I asked, putting on my most innocent look.

That kind of got his attention. He looked over to me, and I quickly shot the spores in his face. He cursed once, but the spores worked fast. He fell to the floor, and was out cold in moments. I put the mushroom on the table and sat down next to him.

"Sorry." I whispered.

"Thank you, Nadia." Hawkins had come into the room and was now standing beside me. "Come, I'll take you home."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

4 Years Later

Nadia's Pov

It has been four years since Takahashi disappeared, and I have come to accept that he is more than likely dead. In his place, a man whose first name I cannot pronounce has become the nature master. Even if his name is hard, tradition in the order is that you call a master by their last name, so he is Master Kimora. He is fairly young for a duel master, but just a few years behind Master Hawkins.

I officially became Argus' personal acolyte the day I was given my gauntlet, which was two years after I was brought here, but that means that I don't get to be around the other acolytes as much. I like working with Master Argus, but I miss training with my friends.

"Nadia, can you come here for a moment?" Argus called for me as I was putting up a box of scrolls on one of the library shelves.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, turning around to see an unfamiliar boy standing next to my mentor.

"This is our newest acolyte, Hector Chavez. He moved here from Venezuela and is already acquainted with our ways. Would you mind showing him around the temple?" Argus asked.

"Not at all. It would be a bit rushed though, Master Hawkins asked me to help him with his training or something to that extent." I brushed myself off and offered my hand to the boy. "Hi, my name is Nadia Lobachevsky."

He shook my hand and smiled warmly. "My name is Hector, but you already knew that." He laughed nervously. "I don't mind if it is a bit rushed. Just show me where I can and can't be and I'll be fine figuring the rest out on my own."

I left the library and began showing him around. It was actually pretty funny watching him try and amaze me with his stories.

"So you are the water master's personal student? Back home, I was our mentor's favorite as well." He just kept talking, obviously trying to impress me. I guess he is trying to make a friend in a new world. I was in his shoes once, but moving from Russia when I was only eight is much easier than moving to a new country at the age of sixteen, which is how old I think he is. He is grasping at straws and since I was introduced to him first, I was the only straw available at the moment.

"I was also pretty young when I got into Kaijudo. I think my mentor thought I was older than I was when she asked me to join the order. How long have you been here?" He asked as I showed him the Nature Master's keep.

"I was introduced into Kaijudo four years ago. The former nature master took me into the order after I hit a terrasaur with a short metal pipe." I thought back on that time, and felt a little sad.

"Is something wrong?" Hector's concerned voice broke the sad silence that filled the air for a few moments.

"No," I knelt down and touched one of the small bonsai trees that Takahashi had begun to grow before he disappeared. It might be strange, but it feels like as long as these tiny trees grow here, his presence will still stay. "It just brought back some memories. That was a hard year for the entire temple."

"Why was that?" He pressed. I stood up and beckoned for him to follow, continuing our tour.

"That was the year the former nature master went missing. It was a shock to everyone. According to Master Jaha, it was worse than when the former Fire Master died, and three other duel masters watched her die." I said.

"That's-wow. Did you know him well?"

"Kind of. Since he brought me here, I stayed by his side for quite a while before I became secure enough being the only twelve year old among fourteen to sixty year old duelists. I began to hang around the library more often and Master Argus took notice. I have been his personal apprentice ever since." I explained. He went quiet after that, only asking questions about certain rooms and their contents. The tour ended not long after that and we parted ways so I could go meet Master Hawkins.

"Ah, there you are. I was wondering where you were." Master Hawkins greeted me as I entered his keep. "Did something happen? It is unusual for you to be late."

"A new acolyte came and I was asked to show him around." I pulled on my gauntlet and activated it. "What is it you want me to do?"

"Argus and I have a little bet going on and I would like some practice before we go into the final round." He chuckled, and I tilted my head to the side. "It is a dueling competition. We're two for two at the moment, and our final duel is tomorrow. Argus trained you so I would like some extra practice with someone who duels like him before then."

"Is that fair?" I asked, raising my eyebrow at him.

"Of course it is!" He laughed "Practice makes perfect, ya know!"

I smiled and performed the water kata _"Rapids Lurker,_ " I called to my creature.

It came screeching out of the breach and hovered above me menacingly, snarling and ready for battle.

"Here we go," Hawkins smiled and performed the fire kata. _"Twin-Cannon Maelstrom."_

The Fire Master's dragon burst through the veil in all of its fiery glory and glided to the lava pools. I was immediately at a disadvantage. He had the bigger and stronger creature, the terrain was made for fire creatures, and I was a novice compared to a Master, but my mentor trained me well. My creature was small, fast, and born to move quickly and with ease through either air or water. As soon as I turned fourteen and was given my gauntlet, Master Argus trained me for this kind of situation.

I commanded my creature to fly high above the dragon's head, and the dragon responded by blasting its flames at it. The one disadvantage Maelstrom had here was that it was too big to really fly, but the ceilings were high enough to put some distance between them. As the two creatures fought, I was planning my next movements far in advance, and if anything went wrong, I would recalculate another course of action. After some time, I looked over to Master Hawkins, and I noticed that he was watching me, and he didn't look happy.

"Alright, that's enough." He called to me, and I summoned my creature to my side. Rapids Lurker was not thoroughly pleased. I called it away from the fight, but he followed my command.

Hawkins walked over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "How hard does Argus train with you on a regular basis?"

His question caught me off guard. "No harder than the others." I responded, slightly confused.

He didn't seem to believe me. "That's enough for now, there is something I must discuss with Jaha. I'll see you around." He banished his creature and I did the same with mine. I followed him out of his keep and allowed him to go on ahead, once he was out of earshot, I once again followed him.

I followed him all the way to Jaha's keep and climbed down the steps only enough to hear what they were talking about. I only caught about half of the conversation, but enough to be concerned.

"-She was relentless, and if she ever slipped up, she would cringe and quickly correct herself. The look on her face was what concerns me most. It was as if she was desperate to prove something, and looked on the verge of tears if she made a mistake or even if I began to get the upper hand." Hawkins said.

 _I did? I hadn't realized…_

"She always seems to go home exhausted nowadays… Do you think he is over working her?" Jaha mused.

 _I am not being overworked! Master Argus says if you don't go home tired, you haven't tested your limits. Sure his training regiments are hard, but I get better every day._

"He just may be. Do you remember Johan? He was a hard working acolyte and was training under Argus up until he wiped his own memories. To this day we don't know why he did it… I had begun to wonder if it was because Argus was too hard on him, but the only proof I had was hardly proof. Going home exhausted and with some cuts and scrapes isn't exactly proof of overwork, but I don't want something similar to happen to Nadia."

"No, none of us want to go through that again with any of the acolytes. I think I will begin to take over your studies for a little while… Okay, Nadia?" I was busted. I should have known better than to try and spy on Jaha.

I walked down the steps with my head low. "Master Argus hasn't done anything wrong." I wanted to defend my mentor, but I was still too ashamed of being caught to say much more.

"That is something we are trying to figure out. For now, just stick with me and I will help you polish your skills a bit.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Nadia's Pov

Training with Jaha is certainly different than training with Master Argus. Instead of focusing on just fighting, she nitpicks everything I do. She made me relearn the Katas, spells, and told me to shift my focus from pure facts to abilities and traits when studying the tablets. She has me trained well though, I have to say. With one click of her cane on the ground, I would freeze in place, and she would circle me, correcting posture and repeating the same phrase.

"This is why you need to get it right the first time. After the first time, you repeat it, and it becomes habit." She would grumble.

I hate training like this, but I have to admit, I am much more precise with my movements now. Jaha tells me that slight changes in Katas are an easy indicator of laziness.

"If you don't think getting the Kata perfect is important, then you might as well not summon a creature at all." She yelled at me as I practiced the five civilization Katas. "Each Kata flows into each other. Darkness to Water, Water to Fire, Fire to Light, Light to Nature, and Nature to Darkness." She demonstrated all five Katas and I watched how smooth the transitions were between each.

Jaha might not be as smart as Master Arugs, but she is wiser and much pickier. She is even making me choose another creature to work with since she thinks working with the same creature as my mentor won't allow me to grow.

"Don't choose a creature you were taught to use. Clear your head and think of a creature that will work well with your, or even a creature you have never used before. Test your limits. Choose a creature that feels right to you." Jaha commanded.

I closed my eyes and thought of all of the creatures I knew about. Many were eliminated off the bat. I know my abilities suit water creatures best, so that got rid of a ton of candidates. Cyber lords and Leviathans were also eliminated as they are hard to summon and control. Even though I had eliminated many, there are still so many to choose from.

Suddenly, I thought of a glowing tablet I had stumbled upon years ago. I didn't even think. My body just moved and my lips parted to say the name of the creature I have wanted to summon yet never had the courage to.

" _Aqua Chaser Rusalka!"_

Out of the breach came an amazing creature. It had the body of an eel, a tropical head dress, and beard of tentacles. Others would probably think it was disgusting, but I was captivated by its smooth movements and sleek frame.

That amazement quickly turned to fear as Rusalka rushed me. I quickly snapped out of it and pulled up my shield. It hit my shield hard enough to cause me to fall to the ground, and then continued at me. It stopped short of head butting me. Its face just inches from my own. I could smell salt water and fish on its breath as it barred its long, sharp teeth at me.

" _Who dares to summon me?"_ A raspy, yet feminine voice echoed through my head.

"I- I summoned you. I just heard about you a long time ago and wanted to see what you were like." I stammered.

" _How could a child like you hear of me?"_ I was about to respond, but she began again _"A glowing tablet in the library? I guess I should feel special since my tablet was the only one to glow out of the thousands you have seen and read."_

"How did you know that?" I asked

" _I am a telepath. How you can so easily hear me, though, is a bit startling. No human has heard my voice in centuries."_

I looked past her to Master Jaha, but she was gone. I looked around and spotted BlackFeather readying an attack and aiming directly at Rusalka. The specter shot two violet beams from its eyes and I moved without thinking. I thrusted out my arms' taking command of Rusalka and moving her out of the way of the beams. I rolled away just as the attack seared the ground.

" _You dare to command my body?!"_ Rusalka hissed as she floated back to my side.

"Yes, so you weren't banished by an attack!" I retorted.

Rusalka paused for a moment. _"I see… Thank you."_ She must have looked into my thoughts or something.

"Nadia, are you alright?" Jaha helped me to my feet and placed herself between me and Rusalka. She raised her gauntlet, ready to form a shield and command BlackFeather to attack. A pain went through my head, and it was as if I could sense that Rusalka was unsure and… afraid?

"Wait, no! Master, I am fine. She didn't hurt me!" I grabbed and pulled down her arm. I immediately got the sense that Rusalka relaxed a bit. "I just freaked her out a bit when I summoned her.

"She? You freaked 'her' out?" Jaha asked, exaggerating the pronouns. I immediately recognized my mistake. We don't use gender pronouns on creatures. I don't know why, but it is frowned upon to call them anything other than 'it'.

"I startled the creature. I have her under control." I corrected myself, but that earned me a glare from Rusalka and a flash of anger in my head. _Why do I feel like I can sense what she is feeling?_

" _It is because we have a mental link."_ Rusalka's voice startled me. _"Also, it might be wise if you spoke to me with your mind."_

" _Like this?"_ I tried directing a thought at her.

" _Yes. Your mind is very quiet. Oh well, this is your first time using telepathy in any form."_

"Nadia." Jaha's voice snapped me back into the real world. "Banish that creature. That will be all for today."

"But master-" She gave me a look that immediately shut me up.

" _I am sorry for summoning you."_ I thought as I turned to banish Rusalka.

" _If you hadn't, the water realm would still not know that mental links can form between kaiju and humans. Summon me again sometime. I would like to learn more about this link."_ I smiled and banished her back to the Kaiju Realm.

Jaha sent me home for the rest of the day after that. I would have summoned her again but tonight, I am babysitting as a job for the first time ever. Sure I watched over my younger siblings and my little cousins when needed, but this was someone else's child. And I was going to get paid for this.

"I will only be gone for about two hours. It is a thirty minute trip to the airport to pick up my father-in-law, but I am not sure how long it will take to go through customs and baggage claim." The woman, Janet, said as she gave me a sticky note with her phone number on it. "Call me if you need anything. Bye bye, Ray!"

"Bye mommy!" The little boy, Raiden, waved to her as she closed the door. Strange, normally kids cry when their parents leave. I guess he isn't like most kids.

"Okay, Ray, what do you want to do?" I asked, sitting down on the couch.

"I wanna play monster!" He cried. I gave him a bit of a concerned look. How old is this kid?

He ran to the end of the couch and pat the armrest. "This is Tero. He is really nice, but hungry! We need to get grass to feed him!"

"Oh, yeah? Can you show me where to get the grass?" I asked. This boy has quite the imagination.

"Here!" He jumped on the couch and grabbed the green pillows off of it. "Here is the grass! Eat up Tero!"

He began to pat the couch again and make grumbling sounds. It's almost as if he is imitating a terrasor… Wait! No, this is babysitting, not Kaijudo. I need to get my head in the game.

"Are there any other monsters nearby?" I asked.

"Yeah, Goldie! He's a spider made of gold!" He squeaked and ran to the kitchen. He pulled down a drawing from the fridge and gave it to me. Sure enough, there was a golden spider with one green eye and a slit pupil on it.

Seeing the spider brought back memories of Humonculon and Takahashi. I touched the picture lightly. "Is he a good spider?"

Ray nodded his head rapidly, and I smiled.

The minutes ticked by quickly as we played. Everything was going well, until Ray decided to investigate my bag. He pulled out a notebook that I had filled with creature information and my gauntlet.

"Hey, put them back!" I told him "They are not yours!"

Ray ignored me and put the oversized gauntlet on his tiny hand. "Look! I got a glove!" He cheered.

"Raiden!" I got his attention this time. "That is not yours. Please put it back, now."

"But I wanna play with the creatures again." He whined.

Wait. What? Either he knows what a gauntlet can do or he just is super imaginative and that was just a coincidence. "No buts, that was not your bag, and that is not your glove. Put it back."

He was absolutely devastated, but he did what I said. He ran to his room afterwards and began to cry on his bed. His mother and grandfather got home soon after that, and I explained what happened.

"Oh, no worries." The older man said. "I am sure he won't be scarred for life."

Raiden Senior just laughed it off. Janet, however, had gone pale.

"Here's your money." She counted out my pay at the door. "Thank you for watching my son."

"It was no problem. He is a very sweet and imaginative boy." Janet looked a little more at ease after I spoke.

She closed the door and I began to walk home. _Well… I guess I will never be babysitting for her again._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Nadia's Pov

Over the course of the next few weeks, I trained almost exclusively with Rusalka. I was determined to learn everything about her and this link we shared. She is unlike any creature I have ever met. She is intelligent, cunning, and… kind of caring. If I ever hurt myself while training, even if I just stub my toe on the ground, she asks if I am okay and stop whatever she was doing.

All of the masters have noticed how she acts, and none of them like it. Brightmore and Jaha especially. Master Argus finds it very annoying that she is always around. Rusalka really dislikes him, but she tolerates him for me. Master Hawkins and Kimora find it intriguing how she acts around me.

" _Nadia, can you hear me?"_ Rusalka called from the temple.

" _Loud and clear."_ I was standing just outside the dojo.

There didn't seem to be a limit to how far we could communicate from. This might be a useful ability, but I have no idea how to apply it to anything if only she and I can use it.

I have tried to see if Rusalka could communicate this way with others, but they only ever hear a feint whisper of sound. Not words. The only way she can really communicate with others is when she uses her telepathic beam.

" _Human minds are much too simple. I can easily enter and find as much information as I want, but no one can hear me. Your mind is more sensitive to my intrusions and can truly understand me. Why? I do not know. But you do and it is fascinating."_ Rusalka would say to me. It's strange. All this time, I was told creatures were vicious and to be controlled with an iron fist or else they will maul you. But not Rusalka. She is special. I hesitate to call her a friend because of how little I know about her, but… that's the only word I can think of to describe our relationship. Not a partnership or acquaintance, but a strange friendship.

Which only makes her pain worse for me. Every grunt and groan she makes is amplified in her mind and is unconsciously sent to me. I dislike dueling with her, but she is the only creature I really care to work with.

I opened the doors of my house and greeted my little brother and grandfather.

"Your sisters will not be back until tomorrow. A friend is having a sleepover and they will be gone the entire night. Also, I need to take something to a friend of mine. Watch your brother while I am away." Grandfather kissed my forehead as he grabbed his coat from the coatrack.

"Yes, grandfather. Come home soon." I kissed his cheek and watched him walk out of the door.

"So, what do you want to do? We have the house to ourselves tonight." I ruffled my little brother's hair and smiled at him.

"Movie night!" Nico's eyes sparkled and I immediately guessed what he wanted to watch.

"Really? Aren't you getting a little too old for that movie?" I sighed.

"No way! _Spirit_ is the best movie ever! I will never get too old for that movie!" I couldn't help but laugh at his excitement and grabbed the movie from off the counter.

I put the movie in and about ten minutes into the first act, I fell asleep. I had a long day of school and kaijudo practice today, and was completely exhausted.

The one downside of working with Rusalka is that our mental link is exhausting. Rusalka says it is because my mind isn't used to the strain, but whatever it is leaves me with a massive headache.

I wasn't really asleep when I heard her call out to me. I was in a half-asleep half-awake haze and jerked up hard at the sound of her screams.

" _NADIAAAA!"_ Rusalka's scream ripped through my brain, causing me to cry out as well.

" _Rusalka?! What's wron-"_ She cut me off with another piercing wail of pain

" _HELP ME! NADIAA"_

" _What's happening? Where are you?"_ I tried asking, but she continued to scream and call out my name.

To avoid concerning my brother, I ran into my room and hid in my closet. I tried to continue questioning her, but she continued begging me for help that I could not give. I huddled up in the corner of my closet and covered my ears with my hands.

 _I have no idea where she was, what she was doing, or what was causing her such terror. How am I supposed to help her?!_

It seemed like hours passed as I listened to her pain. Suddenly, she went quiet.

" _Rusalka?"_ I called out hesitantly. _"Rusalka, what happened? What's wrong?!"_

Panic began to set in as I realized I couldn't sense our link. I screamed out her name in my mind as a new wave of tears poured from my eyes. I could hear my brother crying out for me from the hallway. I didn't want to worry him, but I couldn't calm myself down. After a while, I heard my grandfather call out to me.

I knew I would be in trouble for locking my door, so I climbed out of my hiding spot and opened the door. I must have been an absolute mess, because as soon as grandfather saw my face, he pulled me in a tight hug and wiped the tears from my eyes.

"What's wrong?" He whispered to me.

"I don't know…" I cried back. "I really don't know."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Nadia's Pov

I came into the temple the next day on a mission. Summon Rusalka and find out what in the hell happened to her.

"Hey, Nadi!" I heard Wade call to me from the street corner as I opened the door to the studio.

"Not now Wade." I called back and entered the building.

"Hey!" Wade ran to catch up to me. "What happened? You look like death."

"I am about to find out." Wade was the only one who knows about my link with Rusalka, so I didn't mind him following me into the temple and to a deserted part of the library.

" _Aqua Chaser, Rusalka!"_ I summoned.

A breach opened, but only for a moment. After a few seconds, the breach closed and there was no sign of Rusalka.

"Okay, what's going on?" Wade demanded.

I explained what happened the night before and his face paled. "Wow, Nad. That's intense. Are you really okay?"

"Yes… no? I don't know. I just want to know if Rusalka is okay." I felt on the verge of tears. The creature realm is a savage place… Was she attacked over there? And did she… die?

I don't know what I would do if I found that she was dead.

A sob escaped my lips at the thought, and Wade pulled me into an embrace. "Don't worry, Nadia. I am sure she is fine. She probably got into a little skirmish and is exhausted. Rusalka is too strong and smart to be killed so easily." He attempted to sooth me.

I hugged him back and cried into his chest. How could this happen?

 _Nadia…_ A feint voice echoed in the back of my mind. I jolted up.

"Nad, whats wrong?"

"Hush!" I shushed him. I did hear that, right?

 _Help, Nadia…_

"It's Rusalka! I can hear her!" I exclaimed.

"What? How is she?" Wade put a hand on my shoulder.

 _Help me, Nadia… Please_

"She doesn't sound good, but it sounds like she is on this side of the veil!" I turned my head, trying to see if her voice grew stronger in a different direction.

" _Rusalka, tell me where you are. Give me something to go off of!"_ I begged her.

Suddenly, I could feel her presence stronger coming from the back of the library. Without saying anything, I took off to the very back of the library, where the water fall was.

The waterfall is to the water master, like the lava pits to the fire master. It is a place of meditation among their element. Only the masters are allowed back there unless it is an emergency. I have never once seen Master Argus back there. I think he prefers his lab to the waterfall.

"Nadia, we aren't really supposed to be here." Wade tried to pull me back, but something behind the waterfall caught my eye. A small glowing spiral.

"Rusalka's behind the waterfall." I said bluntly.

"What? How is that possible? There is nothing but rock behind that!" Wade protested as I stepped closer to the waterfall.

Without thinking, I stepped into the water. I felt Wade's hand on my shoulder as he followed me into the waterfall. Surprisingly, the waterfall wasn't that deep, and it only took a few steps to be free of the pounding water. As soon as stepped out of the water and opened my eyes, I gasped in horror.

"What in the hell is this?!" Wade gasped.

It was as if we walked into the laboratory of a mad scientist. Multiple test tubes filled with strange liquids lined the many desks that bordered the small cave. Several large tubes that nearly touched the ceiling containing a green liquid and small masses took up a single corner of the room. In the center of the room, though… was a table where Rusalka was chained down.

"Rusalka!" I ran to her side and began to check her over. On her right side, several of her beautiful blue scales were gone and it looked like her skin was scraped. A small, but noticeable section of her fin was gone as well, and an IV of sorts hooked into her side.

"What in the world happened? HOW could this happen?" Wade stammered, obviously in complete shock.

"Wade, help me undo these restraints." I asked as I began to fiddle with one of the restraints holding down one of her fins.

After a moment, Wade finally moved forwards and tried to free her other fin. After a while, I gave up and searched the lab for something to cut the strong bonds. I found a scalpel on one of the tables and easily cut through all of the restraints with the sharp blade.

Rusalka was so weak, that we had to pull her off of the table. I removed the IV and began to look around the room again.

"Do you think… I mean, only he…" Wade murmured.

"NO! I know what you are thinking, but no! Master Argus would never do something like this. He is a good man. Besides, he hardly ever comes here. Someone else must have found this and has been using it. He would never do this to a creature." I turned on him. _How could he even suggest that?!_

"What in the world?" A voice startled the two of us and we turned to the entrance. Master Argus was looking down on the two of us in shock as we knelt next to Rusalka. "What are you two doing here?"  
"Master!" I jumped up and ran to him. "Someone has been holding Rusalka here. She has missing scales and parts of her fin. It's almost as if they were taking samples of her.

He stood there in silence for a moment. "Nadia, check around the room for any signs of who would do such a thing. I will check of the creature."

I nodded my head and began to check the tables while Argus moved towards Rusalka and Wade.

"Nadi!" Wade cried. I whipped around to see that a cyber virus was now attached to Wade. Rusalka weakly hissed at Argus as he stood up and turned to me.

"I am not sure how you found this place… But I am proud of how undyingly loyal you are. Not even hesitating to do as I told even when this looks so bad. Now, I have taken care of your friend, but what to do with you?" He sighed as he stepped closer to me.

"Master, what are you talking about?" A sudden fear gripped my chest and I stepped back, bumping into a table and causing a stack of paper to fall onto the floor. I looked at the paper and gasped. On the paper was a diagram of Rusalka, complete with notes about where to get DNA samples and known weak spots. It didn't take a genius to realize that if he did everything he wanted too to her, she would have died.

"You know how it goes, little Nadia, if you make a mistake… you will get punished."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Jaha's Pov

It has been several days since Nadia has gone missing. It isn't uncommon for acolytes to go "missing" but actually be on a vacation that they forgot to tell us about or just be really sick. This was not the case though. Nadia's sister and grandfather stopped by the other day and asked when the last time we saw her was.

I clearly remember the worry written all over his face when I told her the last time I saw her, which was almost a week ago, but Nadia is a smart and resourceful girl… I am confident that she is alright, where ever she is.

Poor Wade and Maria. The two have been so sad since she went missing. I can't blame them though since they are her closest friends. The other acolytes have been trying their best to keep their spirits up when they are at the temple, but it is obviously not working. Wade has gotten much more aggressive and angry, and Maria much more reclusive. It is sad to see how her absence is effecting all of us here.

Argus has clearly been the most effected by this event. He has confined himself to his lab, just like he did when Takahashi disappeared. It is obvious that he hasn't slept or ate in a few days, but this time, I don't have Nadia to help me calm him down.

I was in my keep, discussing a possible favor with one of my darkness spies, when a small voice entered my head. It was so quiet, that I immediately dismissed it.

"As I was saying, I would like some assistance with a disappearance of a young duelist. We have no idea where she could be, but there may be a possibility of her being in the Kaiju realm… I hope she isn't, but possibilities mean that something might be possible."

"And what's in it for me?" The phantom hissed, a disgusting grin crossing its face.

"I assume this is what you want?" I pulled a moon flower from my sleeve and it eagerly consumed the illuminate flower.

"There are whispers of a trench hunter and a strange creature chained in the depths Darkness. A tunnel collapsed down there recently, and might be of some interest to you." It smirked as my blood ran cold. I dismissed the phantom and quickly opened the veil.

"Jaha, where are you going?" I turned to see Master Hawkins walking down the stairs towards me.

"There is little time to explain. Come with me," I said quickly as I crossed the veil.

Thankfully, he followed me and once the veil was closed, I explained what I found.

"Do you really think it is Nadia?" He asked quietly.

"She is the only other duelist I know of who uses a trench hunter. I hope it isn't, but if it is her, we need to hurry."

I knew of the place the phantom spoke about. Unstable tunnels were notorious down here in Darkness, but the tunnels below Gregoria's castle are what he was most likely referring to.

As we made our way down the dark tunnels, I heard the voice again. It was louder this time, but not by much.

" _Help…"_ The voice whispered.

" _Who are you?"_

" _Help us, please…"_ It was obvious I wasn't going to get much information from the voice, but it did serve one purpose. The farther down we walked, the louder it became. I guided the two of us down the winding path with ease thanks to the voice, but suddenly, we came across a cave in.

"Was this the cave in your informant told you about?" Hawkins asked.

"I have no clue." I admitted. "But we are about to find out."

" _Twin cannon, Malestrom!"_ Hawkins summoned his primary creature.

"Malestrom, remove these rocks, carefully." Hawkins commanded.

With a flick of its long tail, the dragon knocked away the blockade and we proceeded down the path.

It felt like we were walking for hours before a small sound reached my ears. It was soft, so soft that it was almost a whisper, but I definitely heard a voice.

"Did you hear that?!" Hawkins gasped.

"Yes." We ran towards the voice only to come across another blockage.

"Malestrom!" Hawkins pointed towards the rocks and gently cleared a small path.

There, in the darkness, was the missing girl. Nadia was holding Rusalka's head in her lap as she sang quietly. Her voice was hoarse, but other than that, she appeared fine. We ran to her side quickly. Hawkins pulled Rusalka away from Nadia, which turned out to be a mistake. Nadia clutched one of the trench hunter's tentacles and kicked out as Rusalka turned to bite Hawkins.

"Nadia! It's okay, you two are safe now." I grabbed her to hold her still. Only when Rusalka was pulled away did I notice the handcuffs around her ankles and wrists. Her wrists were bruised and bloody from the metal scraping her skin, and the handcuffs on her ankles were attached to another chain that was wrapped around a large boulder.

The thought hit me hard. _She wasn't just pulled across veil, she was imprisoned here._

"Hawkins, banish Rusalka. She will heal in the Water civilization. We need to get her out of here now." I commanded.

"R-right." He stuttered. He dismissed Rusalka easily, but not before I caught a concerned look cross between the acolyte and the creature. The two had obviously grown closer through their experience here. It was a bit concerning, but I had other things to be concerned about at the moment.

Hawkins scooped up Nadia in his arms and we made our way back to our world. As soon as we crossed the veil, we called an ambulance. Normally, we would treat her at the temple then send her on her way, but the entire town knew she was missing. We needed to end this quickly and with nothing to trace back to the dojo.

Once she was in the ambulance, the medics asked us if we would accompany her, but both of us declined. Our work in her rescue was done. Now, we just need to think of a good cover story for what happened to her.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Nadia's Pov

I opened my eyes slowly and was greeted with white walls. At first, I thought I was dreaming. _How could I have gotten out of the cave?_ After a moment, I remembered the sound of Jaha's voice, and Master Hawkins carrying me away from that place.

I turned my head slightly and saw my grandfather asleep in a chair next to my bed. I looked to my other side and saw my sisters and brother sleeping soundly on three other chairs.

" _Nadia?"_ Rusalka's voice entered my head. _"Are you okay?"_

" _Not sure yet. I just woke up. Are you okay?"_ I answered.

" _A bit weak, but yes. I am okay. I am so sorry this happened to you."_ Her voice was sympathetic.

I now know why she wouldn't tell me what was wrong. I would have never believed her if she had said 'August has me trapped and is planning to take me apart'.

" _It's not your fault. I should have seen what he did and treated him like the monster he was. Instead, I refused to believe what my eyes saw and was hurt in the end."_ I sighed.

My sigh stirred my grandfather. I will never forget the look of pure joy as we locked eyes. He stood up and kissed my head. "Sleep, my little one. You need to rest to recover." He whispered to me.

I smiled back at him and closed my eyes again. In a few moments, I fell asleep.

A few weeks later:

I am terrified to go back. I don't want to go back to the temple, and back to that… monster. How in the world should I react to seeing him again? Would the masters believe me if I told them what happened? I just don't know, and that terrifies me.

" _If you are that worried about them believing you, I can show them what happened,"_ Rusalka soothed me.

If only it was that easy. I just can't shake the feeling that he will worm his way out of it and pick my story to pieces. Over the weeks, I have continued to think over all of the strange happenings at the temple, and how every time something happened or someone disappeared, Argus would lock himself away in his lab and avoid people. Now that I have seen what he is truly capable of, I know he wasn't trying to cope with grief… he was trying to hide the fact that he didn't have any.

Also, he was never around when something bad happened. He would always be somewhere else, working in his lab or returning to the lab from the dojo, or something. He was never around when things went wrong, or at least… that's what he told us. At that moment, I had an idea.

" _Rusalka… I have an idea."_

I took another week off to try and truly collect myself and my plan. It was going to be a long time before I would be able to prove everything I wanted to prove, but if it works out… Argus will forget what the light of day looks like.

I returned to the temple ready to get to work. I was greeted warmly by the acolytes and specialists there, and all of the masters were pleased to see me, especially master Argus. He stepped forwards and pulled me into a hug, but this was not a good hug. I could feel the tenseness of his body and hid heart pounding wildly in his chest. He feared me, he feared what I could do to him, and I loved every second of that revealing hug. If only I had more control over myself though, because I was exactly the same as him. Tense muscles, ready to bolt or fight at any second, heart pounding a mile a minute… I feared him, and he knew it.

"It is so good to see you alive and well, little Nadia." His tone was two-sided. Silky and reassuring, but in this context, an omen of bad things to come. "We don't want you to overexert yourself on your first day back, so we have assigned you to the library. I will of course need your assistance from time to time, though."

I nodded my head, knowing that my voice would be a squeak if I responded vocally. I followed him to the library and just as we arrived, he gave me a look that said follow me again. I followed him to the lab without a word, and once we were inside and the door was closed, he massaged his temples and let out a sigh.

"Oh, Nadia. What am I to do with you now?" He wondered, making sure I could hear him. He was trying to use my fear against me, but I also know how to put up a bit of an act.

"Nothing. I won't tell anyone of what happened. I don't want to go back, Master. Please, I'll do anything you say!" I began to cry. Fear is a strange thing. It can make someone angry, or confused, or sad, and if one has a good grip on their fear, it is amazing what you can do to fool others with it.

"Oh, hush now. I know of what happened. I had a stalker sphere on you and that creature the entire time. You never cried once then, so why cry now?"

I continued to sob and fell to my knees, whispering "I don't want to go back" over and over again. After a while, he moved towards me and picked me up by my shoulders.

"Fine. From now on, you are my personal acolyte again. You do as I say, when I say it, and exactly how I say it. Deal?" He held out his right hand.

"Deal." I sniffed, shaking his hand. I have now just made a deal with the devil.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

6 Years Later

Nadia's Pov

My plan took much longer than expected. Gathering evidence, rolling through thousands of hours of video from the stalker spheres, and rumors from around the temple. It took me three years to complete my long list of "accidents around the temple", but I have still yet to use it. August knows what I have been doing, he figured it out by week one, so he has gone quiet in the sense of strange activities. Fewer disasters lead to him, no more disappearing for days on end, and more importantly, he has been trying to keep me busy enough to hinder my research.

How I have managed to keep quiet this long about my "accident", as the other specialists call it, is even beyond me. Hawkins and Kimora have tried over and over again to find out what happened, but I continue to tell them that I don't remember. It is somewhat true though. If someone asks me what happened that day, I hardly remember it, but whenever I look at my wrists… the memories come flooding back.

Two scars that perfectly circle my wrist are the only physical evidence of my traumatic experience. I even have scars on my ankles, but they aren't as pronounced as the ones on my wrist.

Rusalka is rightfully annoyed with me for not blowing the whistle sooner. She went through more horrid things than I, but she also understands what I am trying to do. I can't just go up to the masters with a large file of evidence that August was behind everything, because nothing has happened recently to really catch their attention. I just need him to slip up once. Just one tiny error that rouses suspicion and I can blow the whistle on everything he has done. But until that comes, I need to continue being his perfect apprentice, no matter how much I hated it.

"Nadia?" August called for me. "Can you come here for a moment?"

I am always weary when he asks me this. _Would this be the day he gets rid of me? Would he throw me back into the creature realm and chain me up again?_ Thoughts raced through my head, but I needed to do as her asked. I stood up, and as a precaution, pulled on and activated my gauntlet.

"Is something wrong?" I entered his lab.

"I need your help with something." He began. He handed me something that appeared to be a gauntlet, but was… different, and not in a good way.

"What is this?" I asked.

"It is a gauntlet I have designed. It runs on a mama filtration system that makes it easier to summon creatures and guarantees control. I wish to present it to the other duel masters today, and I would like you to demonstrate its use." August explained. He looked so proud of his work, but I had some issues with this. The fact that it is hard to summon a creature is what gives the order strong duelists. Those who can activate their gauntlets and summon a creature on their first try filters out how many acolytes we take in and stronger duelists. I also didn't like how it gave you total control of the creature. Rusalka has saved me numerous times when I wasn't in control. The freedom I gave her made her more inclined to work with me, rather than against me.

"How does it work?"

"To show the ease of its use, I want you to go in blind. I will instruct you during the meeting and it shall work flawlessly." He was so happy… and that frightened me. He want's total control over creatures and is willing to kill those who get in the way of his research? Not a good combination in the slightest.

Once the masters were gathered for the meeting, August and I made our entrance. I wasn't surprised by the questioning looks of the other masters when they told him what the gauntlet could do.

"Nadia, could you help me demonstrate its power?" He asked. I pulled on the gauntlet and tried to activate it like a normal gauntlet.

"No, no, Nadia. You do not need to activate that gauntlet. As you can see, I have not told her how to use the gauntlet. It is very easy to use, so she will be able to summon a creature with minimal information. Nadia, point out your hand and summon something." He said.

"No activation? No Katas? But this is what sets us apart from everything! The order is special because we can activate gauntlets and summon creatures with katas. Without that, anyone could summon a creature!" Brightmore jumped up, his words mirroring my thoughts.

"Just wait a moment. The order is small and weak. Compared to all of the creatures across the veil, we very well might need anyone to help us keep them at bay. This gauntlet will let anyone be able to summon a creature and fight for the order." August argued. "Nadia, please summon something!"

I could see the anger begin to build in his eyes, so I did as he said. _"Rapids Lurker!"_

The finger tips of the gauntlet shot out and ripped open a hole in the veil. I stepped back in surprise as the tips entered the veil and then literally dragged out the creature. I could feel it struggle against the strain of mana as the glove tips returned to the gauntlet.

"What in the world…" I couldn't even finish my sentence.

"Oh my…" Hawkins breathed.

"Now, command it." Something about the tone of August's voice sent a chill down my spine, but I couldn't back out now. I, and all of the other masters, needed to see all of what this thing could do.

I commanded the creature to circle above us, but that's when something went wrong. I felt my mana go into the gauntlet, but then get shot back into me at almost ten times the strength. I screamed as the gauntlet burned my hand and as the overpowered mana rushed through me. Quickly, I pulled the gauntlet off and collapsed onto the ground.

"Nadia!" The masters jumped up in surprise and August just stared at me in shock.

Hawkins was at my side in a moment, and helped me up.

"What in the world just happened, August?!" I yelled at him. I could still feel the mana churning in my body, making it hard to breathe.

"I- I don't know. The mana focusing system must have backfired…" He began muttering to himself.

"I think we have seen enough of this thing. You will not create another." Jaha walked towards me. "It is much too dangerous to fool around with mana."

 _This was my chance._ "I knew something like this would happen!" I hissed at him. His head shot up and we locked eyes. His confusion turned to fear as he realized what I was going to do. "If I didn't know any better, I would have thought you were trying to get rid of me again!"

"Nadia, what do you mean?" Brightmore asked, shocked.

"I am referring to what happened six years ago, when he took me captive and locked me away in the darkness realm for interfering with his work." I was on a roll now. I basically had my evidence for all of the other missing duelists and strange cases memorized. Every single occurrence led to another, and as I continued my speech, the look of horror at all I knew continued to grow in his eyes. The masters were simply shocked as I ended my rant, and even though my entire body was now burning from the mana, I was shaking with joy from what I had done.

"August… It can't be…" Hawkins stumbled. "Please, it can't be."

"It is all true. I have found hundreds of links to the disappearances of Celeste, Joe and Dan's death, and even to several creatures who were all but dissected, all in the name of his research. He doesn't care who he hurts, he just wants his way." I didn't give him a chance to respond.

"Why?" Jaha asked suddenly. "Why do any of this?"

"Because a war is coming." August switched gears sharply. "A war between this world and theirs. If we don't have the means to control them or the numbers to stop them, humans will cease to exist as we know it!"

"I have heard enough of this!" I have never seen Jaha angry before, but wow was she angry. "August, you are no longer a duel master or part of this order! Kimora, restrain him so I can summon a virus."

If only things were that simple. Just as Kimora jumped up, August ran. He took control of the rapids lurker and commanded it to attack us. Since none of us had our gauntlets on, we had to jump out of the way to avoid its fangs.

Jaha got her gauntlet on first, and performed the spell of banishment as Kimora and Brightmore ran after August. Hawkins was the only thing holding me up at this point. My body felt like it was on fire and I was losing the ability to stand. _What on earth did that thing do to me?_

"Don't worry, Nadia. You just have too much focused mana in your body. We will siphon it out." I heard Jaha's voice beside me. I fell to my knees as Hawkins and Jaha began to pull mana out of me. While it didn't feel good to have mana pulled out of my body, I knew I would feel better with it gone. I already felt better letting everyone know what a monster that man had become.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Present day

August escaped that day, and thinking back to it, I know there was nothing any of us could have done. He had several supporters in the temple who left to follow him later on. If we had caught him, they probably would have helped free him and the same series of events would still happen.

I felt horrible hearing Janet's story of how Ken disappeared. I should have known that August was behind it when he betrayed me, but I didn't think his treachery went that far back.

I am glad to have him back though. He visits the temple every once in a while and I always make some time to catch up. As the man who introduced me into kaijudo, I will always feel indented to him, even if he feels sorry for doing so.

I told him the entire story of how I blew the whistle on August's plans, even bits of my confinement, and he feels responsible for all of it. I have tried to make him think otherwise, but he is stubborn, and refuses to let me take any blame.

Poor Hawkins was devastated at the fact that August betrayed us. He is much too friendly of a man to be suddenly okay with the betrayal of a former comrade. It only took one fight against August and his men to have him hang up his gauntlet temporarily and personally appoint a new master. He chose Hector Chavez as the new fire master, which was a bit of a surprise to all of us. Hector even told me he was shocked at his decision. It was sad to see him go, but I am ashamed that it took me so long to tell my story and of my findings.

Looking back on everything, I have realized if I told the masters from the start, nothing would have changed. He would still work on his master plan of taking over everything, he would still make the evolution serum… nothing would have been different. I also realized the real reason as to why I refused to tell them about what he did.

I was afraid. I was afraid of what he would do if I said anything related to the subject. I was afraid that the masters would somehow not believe me. I was so afraid that I had no idea that I was afraid. Even though I worked side by side with him for years afterwards, I was still afraid. It was when the gauntlet hurt me that I snapped out of it. I had worked with him for how long, and nothing devastatingly bad happened. Even the gauntlet was mild compared to the first time he showed his true colors to me.

The effects of the first tech gauntlet's backfire still affect me today. The overcharged mana has made me frail in several senses. It hurts to summon something or command a creature, and getting directly hit will often knock me out cold even if I have a mana shield up, but that is just something I have learned to cope with. The overcharged mana is now a part of me. If all of it was siphoned out of me, I would die because of how thinly dispersed it is.

While I can cope with my frailness, there is one thing that I am still having difficulties with… the nightmares. I dream often of what happened to me in the cave, and what happened to Rusalka.

I thought I was finally at peace with what happened, but Ken's return has stirred some memories of my time in the darkness realm. I remember it as clearly as when I look at my scars. Tonight was no different.

The nightmare started off at the same place every time, when I finally realized that August was behind what happened to Rusalka.

 _Dream_

" _Master?" Tears were now rolling down my cheeks._

 _He pulled on his gauntlet and opened a breach in the veil. Then, he summoned a rapids lurker._

" _If you care about this creature so much, you can share its fate." He smiled._

 _Grabbing me by the arm, he pulled me across the veil. The rapids lurker grabbed Rusalka and pulled her through as well. He chained my wrists and ankles together and then to a large rock nearby. The shackles were much too tight around my wrists and were cutting into my skin._

" _There we are, my dear. I shall come back some other time after I think of a proper punishment. Hopefully, I won't forget to come and give you some food and water." He waved goodbye as he crossed the veil again._

 _We were alone. Rusalka was still too weak to do anything, I was chained up, and no one knew where we were. August had wiped Wade's memories with the cyber virus, so he couldn't help. We were on our own._

 _Time passed by slowly as we sat in absolute silence. I tried keeping track of how many minutes passed by, but I lost count after an hour or so._

 _After some time, specters began to drop by to see what was going on. I had no idea how long we had been down here, but I knew Rusalka needed some water, and I was a little thirsty myself._

" _Specter!" I called out to one of the darkness creatures that had come to see us._

" _So it speaks?" it chuckled._

" _Specter, is there any water in this cave?" It was way too dark to tell if there was any there, but since I couldn't hear anything, I doubted there was any water._

" _Not in here. Is it something you desire?" It asked._

" _Yes, very much."_

" _Then maybe a trade is in order?"_

" _What kind of trade?" I asked, hesitant to even see what it wants._

" _Something beautiful."_

 _At the time, I had nothing on me that was really beautiful, but there was one thing that my family and friends thought was always beautiful. With nothing solid to give the specter, I began to sing. My friends say I have a unique voice. They describe it as a haunting echo in my voice that blends beautifully with just about any melody._

 _As I sang, the specter began to sway with the melody of the song and eventually, disappeared._

 _I was hoping that this would be the one darkness creature that would help, but darkness has once again proved its callousness. I felt tears of frustration well up in my eyes, but suddenly, I heard something. The sound of water hitting stone._

 _I moved my hand and felt a small bowl-shaped rock next to me._

" _Drink up, and if you sing again, I might get some for your friend." I bent down and gratefully drank some of the cool water. Knowing that I couldn't trust the specter to keep its word, I drank enough only to quench my thirst, and then woke Rusalka so she could drink as well._

 _I sang again, and surprisingly, the specter came back with more water. Rusalka and I drank our fill, but just to make sure we still had water, I sang again. It brought more water, and I thanked it over and over again. Hours passed once again, and we treasured that water. So much so that neither of us would go near it without the other's permission._

 _Both of us were beginning to feel pangs of hunger. The darkness was scary enough, but given the fact that we were trapped, had little water, and no food made it so much worse. I could feel wetness around my ankles and wrists and realized that the handcuffs were so tight that they had cut my skin. I began to cry then. I was scared, tired, and restrained. I wanted this to be over so badly. I continued to sing in hopes that the specter would come back, but it never did._

 _But it wasn't going to end soon. August decided to torture us more from the other side of the veil. Sending small creatures over to torment us and keep us on edge. In his game, one of the creatures caused a cave in that cut off our air supply. After a few hours of us trying not to breathe deeply, I began to feel feint. Just them, there was a sound of collapsing rocks, and Rusalka was pulled away from me._

I shot up in my bed with a gasp. It was a dream. I looked over to see Hector still asleep beside me. Not wanting to disturb him, I quietly got up and exited the room. I just need a moment to collect myself.

I headed to the living room and sat down on the couch. I began to rub my wrists and examine my scars. Most people don't notice them anymore. When the scars first formed, they demanded attention, but they have faded drastically over the years. Enough to where you have to be looking for something to see them, but I still see them, plain as day. Forever marking me with the fact that my blind loyalty nearly got Rusalka and myself killed.

I felt tears on my cheeks as I remembered how weak my strong partner was. How if I had just realized who had done it to her, we might have escaped…

"Nadi?" Hector's voice made me jump. I quickly wiped my eyes and turned to him.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"Yes." He sat down next to me. "You are alone and crying. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, really. It was just a dream." I unconsciously rubbed my wrists. Once I noticed I was doing it, I tried to keep him from noticing, but he grabbed my wrists and checked them over. He noticed the scars right away

"What happened?" His voice startled me. Just a moment ago, he was soothing and kind, now his voice was harsh and cold. "What did this to you?"

"I got myself into some trouble when I was younger. It really isn't much." I lied.

"Then why are you rubbing these scars and crying? Nadia, please. Tell me what's wrong." He begged. I could see the worry in his eyes, and I felt horrible. Not wanting to argue anymore, I told him what happened.

His look of concern turned to horror as I recounted what happened. After I finished, He wrapped me in a tight hug. And whispered in my ear.

"You are safe now. He is gone, and he isn't coming back." He pulled me closer to him and I returned his embrace. "Besides, I would never let anything like that happen to you."

I chuckled into his chest.

"What's so funny?" He asked with mock offense.

"That you think you could have stopped me." I sighed. "I was too stubborn to see what Aug-the Choten had done, and I paid the price."

He released me and held my hands. He kissed the scars on my wrists and looked at me straight in the eye. "And it is even funnier that you think I am kidding."

His voice startled me. I had never seen such conviction in his eyes. I smiled at him and he kissed me.

"Come, we've only got a few more hours of sleep before we need to go back to the temple." He stood up and, without releasing my hand, led me back to the bedroom. Once we were in bed, he pulled me close to him and I rested my head on his chest.

I felt better telling him what was on my mind, and even more so knowing that I wasn't alone after the nightmare. It was also good to know that he d


	12. Thank You

Thank You

I just want to thank all of you for sticking to this story to the end. And I especially want to thank those of you who reviewed, favorited, and followed. At first, I wasn't sure if I wanted to write stories for Kaijudo because so few people know of Kaijudo and like the show, but I am glad that I did. It felt good writing for others who also like (and know about) Kaijudo. I also enjoyed making a backstory for one of the duel masters, so much in fact… that I am going to do another. And just to keep you interested, here is a bit of a teaser trailer.

Try and guess who this is going to be about.

Optimism

He ran through the streets as fast as he could. Had his mother seriously forgotten that they were supposed to have fun together?! His mother had received a call not two seconds ago, and even before she hang up, she darted across the road and around a corner. _"Well, maybe she got a call back from that job interviewer and needs to be there within the next ten minutes or she won't get the job?_ He thought to himself. There was no way she would just forget her only son.

He rounded another corner when he heard a scream. He stopped dead in his tracks as he took in the scene.

His mother was standing face to face with a massive monster.


End file.
